Someone smarter than I am came up with this. "The right-wing mindset: We need guns to resist government tyranny. Wait, those Occupy protesters are resisting the government, and there has been some violence, they're despicable!"

Statistics Source

A response to this blog provides an interesting chain of links in the area of statistics, use of statistics, visual images for statistics and data resources. I am not endorsing this site, but it appears to be useful and the links may lead you to sources and information you may need for this or future course work.

As I see you are mentioning statistical research: I have put one of the most comprehensive link lists for hundreds of thousands of statistical sources and indicators (economics, demographics, health etc.) on my blog: Statistics Reference List. And what I find most fascinating is how data can be visualised nowadays with the graphical computing power of modern PCs, as in many of the dozens of examples in these Data Visualisation References. If you miss anything that I might be able to find for you or if you yourself want to share a resource, please leave a comment. See also Pew Trusts, US Census, other government data bases, university data bases, public data bases, military data bases, CIA World Fact Book, state and local government sites, and various on-line research data bases (ask a librarian for help). If you come across any that you feel other students may benefit from or find interesting, please let us know.

The Republican "no new taxes" pledge, which the 236 Congressmen and 43 US Senator in Congress signed, is behind much of the deadlock in Congress. If you do not have the capacity to raise revenue, you take away the ability to balance a budget while still proving basic, much less special interests, services. If you cannot balance the budget you cannot tackle the deficit. These are facts. Revenue are needed to pay for what people need from their government...police, fire, roads, courts, education and depending on your own needs or those of your constituents a long list of services have to come from somewhere. Former Republican US Senator Alan Simpson, known for his ability to compromised and get difficult legislation passed on behalf of his party during Democratic Congresses, puts the attitude of those Republicans who signed the "no new taxes" pledge as "no new taxes even if means the country goes to hell." Meanwhile those who signed the pledge say that lower taxes are good for business, the consumers and creates job. Economist point out that that is a great slogan based in an ideal world, but efforts since Reagan have all failed to stimulate jobs and build the economy, leading to the highest percentage of money controlled by the fewest individuals since the Robber Barron of the 19tyh Century.

The Republican candidates are all playing to the conservative side of their party. When the primaries and caucus's are over, the winning candidate will need to appeal to those who are moderate, independent and to enough of the liberal base to win the presidency.

Personification and the ad homonym fallacy are rampant in this election, from the mislabeled congressional health care reform bills as Obamacare, to "Obama's war" for wars begun by Bush and approved (not as declared wars but in open authorization vote for military action) by both parties and even trumpeted and lead by Republican Senators.

Personification is not new to politics. You could go back to Teddy Roosevelt and how his administration was painted. More recently President George W Bush and before him President Bill Clinton were often vilified by those who did not like them on a very personal level.

Both personification and signing block fixed promises, leads to the solidification of polarity in government, which then leads by nature to a lack of action, and the very real and accurate charge that politicans are not doing what they were elected/hired to do.

Music Videos are 53 years old this weekend. That's a full 25 years before what is published in most books and on-line as the birth of the Music Video,and 23 years before. The first music video was produced in November, 1958, after hours at a Supper Club, must months prior to the death of its innovative star, The Big Bopper. On February 3, 1959, a small-plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa, killed three American rock and roll pioneers: Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J. P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson (The Day the Music Died). Just ten days before an interview with the Bopper was published in England predicting that "music will be filmed", that people will be able to record their television, that there would be "music television" and that recording would some day be free of any film or tape. That's 53 years ago!

As of this weekend, what Roman Catholics say during mass has changed, becoming more conservative and universal. The changes were made to be closer to the Latin, but also very formal compared to what Catholics raised after the 1964 Second Vatican Council are use to saying. Some Catholics say they will switch to Anglican churches over issues of what is meant by "grace" and other language based changes in what the priest says. It will take a while for the majority of Catholics, who know the parishioner portions of the mass by heart, to adapt to the new wording, which some way is harder to say and remember.

Pope Benedict XVI has urged this week's U.N. climate change conference in South Africa to craft a responsible and credible deal to cut greenhouse gases that takes into account the needs of the poor. Government ministers from more than 100 countries are expected to attend the final sessions of the two-week conference that opens Monday in Durban. The immediate focus is the pending expiry of the Kyoto Protocol, the 1997 agreement requiring 37 industrialized countries to slash carbon emissions to 5 percent below 1990 levels by 2012. Benedict said Sunday he hoped the international community would "agree on a responsible and credible response to this worrisome and complex phenomenon, taking into account the needs of the poorest and future generations."

Egypt on the eve of the country's first parliamentary elections since the fall of President Hosni Mubarak. Many poling place have yet to receive ballots. The actual process of the election will confuse many Americans as there are three cycles with possible runoffs on each cycle before results will known. Each cycle is open to all citizens, without the political party membership based primary system in most of the US.

Egyptians living abroad are eligible to vote in the upcoming election and absentee ballots are being accepted at Egyptian embassies around the world, including Washington, DC. 700.000 Egyptians in the US are eligible to vote, but only 20,000, mostly within an easy drive to Washington DC and the Egyptian Embassy, have registered to vote. Egyptians voting in America say the ballots came out late on Wednesday, and with Thanksgiving it is difficult to decide who is who on the ballots. Most voting are Egyptian Christians, a minority that has seen discrimination and the firebombing of a church during church services over recent months. There were problems printing the ballots on the Internet, as required of all Egyptians who could not get to polling places in Egypt. The site was slow, frieze often and difficult for those who have been "Americanised" to understand.

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has been formally nominated by the ruling United Russia party to run for president in next March's election. Putin, who stepped down in 2008 after two Constitutionally mandated limit on consecutive presidential terms but has remained Russia's No. 1 leader, announced his intention to reclaim the top job in September. Sunday's nomination marks the official start of his election bid. Putin has named his handpicked successor, President Dmitry Medvedev, to lead the United Russia's list in the Dec. 4 parliamentary elections and promised to make him prime minister after the presidential vote. The planned swap has angered many in Russia, who warned it would strengthen authoritarian trends and set the stage for Putin to serve as president for another 12 years becoming the nation's longest-serving leader since the Communist times.Putin has a 67% approval rating, down from 79% three weeks ago.

A group of human rights activists in Mexico has asked the International Criminal Court in The Hague to investigate President Felipe Calderon in connection with the deadly war on drug cartels. The complaint, spear-headed by human rights lawyer Netzai Sandoval, claims war crimes have occurred. The complaint was filed a day after two dozen bodies were found dumped in Guadalajara.

The spillover effects of the drug war in Mexico are taking a terrible toll in Central America. The region now has the highest homicide rate in the world, according to a new UN report, as traffickers move more and more U.S.-bound cocaine through Central America.

The northern most Occupy camp in the U.S. is in Fairbanks, Alaska. Protesters take turns sitting outside in a downtown public park. The difference between this protest and those taking place in the lower 48 is that the temperature has been hovering somewhere below minus-30 degrees.

The Congressional Supercommittee charged with coming up with a plan to cut the national deficit, had been invested with handling so many unrelated tasks that its failure last week has left Congress with a sizable workload in its remaining weeks this year. Among them: possible extensions of the payroll tax cut and unemployment benefits, the preplanned of end of tax cuts for the wealthy (a move called a tax increase by Republicans), a national sales tax, and a continuation of the entire federal budget.

Last year, the Supreme Court ruled that the conditions in California's overcrowded prisons violated the Eighth Amendment's ban on cruel and unusual punishment. The Court ordered the state to reduce it's prison population by a third. Tomorrow marks the first of three benchmark deadlines. With a deep recession and massive budget shortages and cuts, California has fallen far short on meeting the court's mandate. The court was concerned about inadequate health and metal health care, crowded conditions, aging facilities and increased organized crime within prison walls (there is a correlation to prison population, with crime and communication down as the prison population reduces).

Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul inspires deep loyalty among his fans, but in the past, their numbers have been too small to matter in the nominating process. This year, though, the Texas Congressman is among the top contenders in both Iowa and New Hampshire. His Internet savvy youthful following often see simple solutions to the nations problems and do not think like or even comprehend the medical needs of older Americans, the large percentage who up until health care reform were uninsured (not by choice but by the decisions and policies of insurance companies) or the actual costs and need for infrastructure in areas that keep commerce, public safety and government functioning.

New Hampshire's largest newspaper is endorsing Newt Gingrich, giving the former House speaker a jolt in a state that has the first presidential primary. The New Hampshire Union Leader wrote in Sunday's editions that
the former Georgia lawmaker is the choice of the conservative editorial page. The decision was published in a banner headline across the front page of the Sunday edition. The nod had the potential to reset the contest in the state. The Union Leader has long had great sway in Republican politics in the state and the newspaper used Page One editorials and columns to help Sen. John McCain win the state's primary four years ago and
start his path to the GOP's nomination.

The Tennessee Technology Centers have done something rare in the world of higher ed-- getting 75% of students to complete a certificate. The program focuses on keeping students in a "cohort," requires attendance, and has a clear cut schedule. Other community college programs are using a similar approach, which seems to work especially well for at-risk students. Choice is not an option from Employers, and in most cased not one in the more important aspects of life. Therefore the system mandates being on time, attendance, following a strict school schedule (students do not select their own classes), strong support of the faculty in any dispute with students, and tough testing.

About Me

Actor, Casting Director, Director, Broadcaster, Writer, Singer, Artistic
Director, Dramatur, Producer, Professor, Coach, Husband, Grandfather, Marketing
Professional and life long student Art Lynch joined the staff of John Robert
Powers in 1999. Lynch is also an adjunct professor at the Community College of
Southern Nevada, the Morning Edition Weekend Host for Nevada Public Radio and
one of 67 individuals who represent 126,000 actors as a member of the Board of
Directors of the Screen Actors Guild. He is the past president of the Nevada
Branch of the Screen Actors Guild and of the Professional Audio/Visual Communications
Association. A resident of Nevada since 1984, Lynch has an MA in Communications
from UNLV and a BA in Theater, Speech and Mass Communications from the
University of Illinois, Chicago. He is currently pursuing post-graduate studies
in theater, education and the entertainment industry. Art Lynch studied and
practiced the craft of acting in Chicago and California before settling in
Nevada. With his wife Laura, Art owned and operated a successful marketing
company with national clientele. Art was personally responsible for casting and
directing over 1,000 commercials and industrials, as well as assisting on film
and television projects in many ways. His career also includes earning awards
as a wire service, magazine and broadcast journalist. He is most proud,
however, of his daughters. Ann is a PhD in neuroscience and Beth is the proud
mother of his grandchildren, Evan and Elijah.

Short Film Festival

DISCLAIMER

The resources listed herein are posted for informational purposes only. The authors of this blog are not affiliated with, nor do they endorse, sponsor or guarantee any of the above resources or any of the information, advice, services or other resources obtained through these resources. All information and content on this blog is for informational purposed only and not to be taken as legally vetted journalism or endorsed in any way by the authors of this blog, the Screen Actors Guild, College of Southern Nevada, Casting Call Entertainment, Boulder City Parks and Recreation or any other entity implied or mentioned on this blog. No guarantee of any kind is made as to the accuracy or suitability of these resources or the qualifications of any companies or individuals affiliated with them.